Rebels end rough stretch with loss to Lubbock High

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, March 30, 2010

LUBBOCK — A rough four-day stretch for Lee ended on Tuesday, but the Rebels have a long road ahead of them to turn their season around after suffering a 17-7 run-rule loss to Lubbock High.

Making its third trip north after traveling to Amarillo on Saturday and Monday, Lee (9-13, 1-5 in District 2-5A) allowed seven unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to Lubbock High (9-11, 2-4) to lose in five innings. The Rebels were in the game until that point, though.

Facing one of the Westerners’ top starters in R.J. Garcia, the Rebels scored five runs the first three innings and forced Garcia from the game in the third.

“He had a good breaking ball and he mixes his pitches up,” Lee coach Danny Neighbors said. “He wasn’t overpowering by any stretch, though, and neither was the guy they brought in. They threw a lot of breaking pitches, not many fastballs, and we just couldn’t hit it.”

Lee’s offense slowed after Garcia’s exit. The Rebels left the bases loaded in the top of the fourth and managed only two runs between the fourth and fifth innings. A Daniel Vargas triple was Lee’s only extra base hit of the game.

“That could have been the difference in the game,” Neighbors said. “But we didn’t play good enough defense to win.”

Lee’s defensive woes showed up in the fifth when Lubbock High turned a 10-7 advantage into a 17-7 victory by rattling off seven unearned runs. The Rebels committed four errors in the game.

Now Lee must regroup before hitting the road to play San Angelo Central on Saturday.

“We might be a little road weary, but that doesn’t explain effort,” Neighbors said. “We’ve been living out of this bus this week and it hasn’t been that much fun. We had some chances in the game if we just played some defense.”